House of Science gets a new home

From Sulphur Point to the city centre, House of Science has moved into the heart of Tauranga and doubled the size of its organisation in the process.

After calling The University of Waikato's Coastal Marine Field Station home for the last three years, the Tauranga science education centre has packed up its beakers, books and Bunsen burners, and relocated into the city centre to a standalone facility on Grey St.


The newly-located House of Science is hosting an open day featuring programming robots as a fun activity.

'The university embraced the House of Science concept from the start, offering space for offices and a shared laboratory for children's programmes and teachers' professional development,” says House of Science director Chris Duggan about the charitable trust's humble beginnings.

'All the staff and students were extremely supportive and encouraging, and always treated us as part of the ‘Coastal Marine Field Station family'.”

Chris developed and established the House of Science in Tauranga three years ago to provide science resources and educational opportunities to schools and raise the scientific literacy of the local community.


The NAO robot delighted the crowd at House of Science by performing Ti Chi and by kicking a ball. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

Tauranga now acts as a headquarters and the regional model has six satellite branches operating autonomously in Whakatane, Rotorua, Manawatu, Hutt Valley, Nelson and Wellington.

House of Science is supported nationally through a partnership with the Wright Family Foundation, a Tauranga charitable trust committed to furthering education in all its forms in New Zealand.

As of Queen's Birthday weekend, House of Science is now based out of 100 Grey St – a central facility that's twice as big as the initial location and boasts a large dedicated meeting room, separate from the classroom.

'This will allow us to offer more children's programmes and potentially host robotics competitions for teams from all over the North Island,” says Chris. 'Plus the spacious reception area will allow us to display some of our students' fantastic projects.”

It's a positive step which indicates how far House of Science has come, to meet the needs of a community calling out for further science education.

'By being in the CBD, it's also a visible reminder of the prominent role science takes on in Tauranga, and provides a more welcoming space for people to drop in and see what we're all about, ” says Chris.

While Chris is sad to leave behind the original location 'where the magic began”, she is excited about what the future holds for this ever-growing organisation. In fact, she's marking the occasion with an open day today that proves science isn't just for the young, but also the young at heart.

The morning is dedicated to the ‘Silver Scientists' in the community, with hands-on experiments for the city's over-65s.

'House of Science staff and volunteers will encourage interaction at four to six science stations around the facility, where participants can make a ‘pocket rocket', play with slime, see magic milk in action or programme a robot,” explains Chris.

'We are looking forward to providing a fun, learning experience – and, of course, a lovely morning tea.”

Following the morning's activities, House of Science students, aged eight to 12, will be demonstrating their investigations and talking about the science they have discovered in the process.

'And the robotics team, who recently went to the VEX World Robotics Competition in the US, will demonstrate their skills on the robot field,” adds Chris.

The House of Science open day is at 100 Grey St today. ‘Silver Science' is from 10am-12pm and the public open day is from 2pm-5pm.

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